Dance Medicine

BACKGROUND: Despite overuse injuries being previously described as the most frequent in ballet, there are no studies on professional dancers providing the specific clinical diagnoses or type of injury based on the discipline. HYPOTHESIS: Overuse injuries are the most frequent injuries in ballet, with differences in the type and frequency of injuries based on discipline. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study performed between January 1, 2005, and October 10, 2010, on injuries occurring in professional dancers from leading Spanish dance companies who practiced disciplines such as classical, neoclassical, contemporary, and Spanish ballet...

INTRODUCTION: Sonographic abnormalities of the achilles and patellar tendons are common findings in athletes, and tendinopathy is a common cause of pain and disability in athletes. However, it is unclear whether the sonographic changes are pathological or adaptive, or if they predict future injury. We undertook a cohort study to determine what sonographic features of the achilles and patellar tendons are consistent with changes as a result of ballet training, and which may be predictive of future development of disabling tendon symptoms...

The female athlete triad (Triad), links low energy availability (EA), with menstrual dysfunction (MD), and impaired bone health. The aims of this study were to examine associations between EA/MD and energy metabolism and the prevalence of Triad-associated conditions in endurance athletes. Forty women [26.2 ± 5.5 years, body mass index (BMI) 20.6 ± 2.0 kg/m(2), body fat 20.0 ± 3.0%], exercising 11.4 ± 4.5 h/week, were recruited from national teams and competitive clubs. Protocol included gynecological examination; assessment of bone health; indirect respiratory calorimetry; diet and exercise measured 7 days to assess EA; eating disorder (ED) examination; blood analysis...

BACKGROUND: Conditions of low energy availability (EA) (<30 kcal/kgLBM) have been associated with suppressed metabolic hormones and reductions in LH pulsatility in previously sedentary women during short-term manipulations of energy intake (EI) and exercise energy expenditure (EEE) in a controlled laboratory setting. The purpose of this study was to examine if EA, defined as EA = (EI-EEE)/kgLBM, is associated with disruptions in ovarian function in exercising women. METHODS: Menstrual status was confirmed with daily measures of urinary reproductive metabolites across 1-3 menstrual cycles or 28-day monitoring periods...

Physical changes associated with puberty may conflict with functional and aesthetic ideals for a career in ballet. The dance teacher is in a position to guide young dancers through the pubertal transition, although dancers rather than teachers are often the focus of research. This study explores the social stimulus value of the female body in ballet as perceived by the dance teacher and how value may change during puberty. Ten UK dance teachers were interviewed; interpretative phenomenological analysis was used...

As female athletic participation has increased, the positive effects of exercise on health have become evident. However, with this growth in sports activity, a set of health problems unique to the female athlete has emerged. The female athlete triad as first described in 1992 by the American College of Sports Medicine consisted of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis; the definition was updated in 2007 to include a spectrum of dysfunction related to energy availability, menstrual function, and bone mineral density...

Athletic activity may be associated with alterations in various neuroendocrine axes depending on the state of energy availability. In addition, genetic factors and an underlying predilection for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may predispose some athletes to develop functional hypothalamic amenorrhea earlier than other athletes. In conditions of low energy availability associated with athletic activity, changes that occur in various neuroendocrine axes are primarily adaptive, and aim to either conserve energy for the most essential functions, or allow the body to draw on its reserves to meet energy needs...

Distance running in humans has been associated with both positive and negative effects on the balance of bone remodelling. There is evidence to suggest that the negative effects may be linked to a failure to balance energy expenditure with an adequate energy intake. Energy restriction is known to reduce the synthesis and serum concentration of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which plays an important role in bone formation. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of repeated periods of prolonged treadmill running, under conditions of either energy balance or energy restriction, on markers of bone turnover and serum IGF-1 concentration in trained distance runners...

Preliminary and speculative findings are reported on the benefits of a prescribed turnout conditioning program (TCP) designed to facilitate pre-professional dancers' active use of natural turnout potential. While of some debate, it is reported in the literature that many dancers use less turnout than what is available to them when measured passively. Key muscles required to achieve full turnout were the focus of the TCP, and exercises were introduced in a manner that, theoretically, should stimulate appropriate activation patterns for proper turnout biomechanics...

Summer dance intensive programs are an integral part of many serious dancers' training. The risk and rate of injury in this setting have not been well studied. The goal of this data analysis is to detail the epidemiology of dance injuries reported during a summer dance intensive over a consecutive 3 year period. Data collection included information regarding the number of evaluation and treatment sessions conducted at the program's walk-in clinic, body regions injured, whether the injuries were recurrences of pre-existing conditions or newly sustained during the intensive, and at what point in the program they were recorded...